Three: Role Playing Cupid
Summary: Carmen never said that was what she was doing, but deep down she knew her sister would one day thank her for doing a favor.
XxX
He was a boy.
She was a girl.
Jesus Christ, could Carmen make it anymore obvious?
But this was not the case of stuck-up ballet princess and skate board loving punk. The case for her sister Jenette was opposites detract.
Hence why in her heart she knew from the beginning Mark was the perfect one for her. He wasn't different at all, no in fact, they matched up one another's personalities perfectly. He was the male embodiment of her, and how the two of them weren't star crossed yet was quite odd.
That is, until Carmen realized about her thoughts. They were just like each other, weren't they? And if Carmen knew Jenette well enough like she did, the two would be exhuberenty and difficultly stubborn to each other and the idea of love.
The then sixteen and a half year old knew that something had to be done. If not, they'd be the awkward situation of being stuck in the friend zone (as a term she would remark with many of her friends), and just those cases were enough to make Carmen want to tear her hair out. She knew though they wouldn't try to pull any tricks one another like that. For two fearless Colonial Marines, they sure were chickens.
So if neither one of them would act soon, Carmen decided she would instead.
XxX
To set the record straight, it was remarkable really.
Jenette couldn't even count how many times even back to her childhood when friends of her parents had remarked how much she and Carmen looked alike. The same curly jet black hair, the same tan skin, the same dark eyes. It didn't help that as a child, Carmen practically worshipped and idolized her sister. Carmen always followed her around, wanted to be just like her, and always took orders from her when as children they played 'Army Fort'.
But personality wise, the similarities stopped dead. Carmen was barely, if anything like her. Carmen was young, always excited and quite bubbly. A lively girl admittedly, but a little too hyper for her taste at times. Carmen loved looking pretty, cried over the silliest things including the deaths of ladybugs, and to the other extent of Carmen's emotional degree, she had a habit of overreacting.
Including on the subject of her and Mark.
She rolled her eyes at the memory, and how many countless times she had told Carmen the status straight. Friends. Just friends. Good friends. Hell she even hesitated to say the word 'best' with friends. Because no matter how many ways she attempted to word it out, Carmen heard the following; Star-crossed adoring soul mate lovers bound for a blissful fairytale marriage and gorgeous children.
And though their personality contrasts greatly, they did share only one similarity; Deviousness. Jenette just did it for the kicks, in fact, being devious was just a natural part of her. But only in the most serious of 'emergencies' would Carmen do the same- and be even worse.
Which could be a good thing- depending on who you are.
For Jenette, she knew that could only lead to embarassing troubles...
XxX
Well, it wasn't like Carmen was lying.
Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat, damning himself now for choosing an apartment that was located not so far away from Jenette's residence. For he knew she was secretly a Daddy's Girl, meaning that even though she no longer lived with her parents, she took a place that was close by to her family including Carmen Vasquez.
Jenette was right when she had told him Carmen was notorious for looking just like her. Here he was answering the door in worn out white shirt that was a bit see through, toothbrush in his mouth, and blond haired a bedhead nightmare and here came what he thought was Vasquez herself. He almost had a heart attack, seeing her even shorter and smaller stature, a tad younger looking face, and craziest of all...a girly, bubbly smile.
That was the dead give away right there that there was no way in Hell that was his Vasquez.
She had insisted they talk, not even giving him a minute to at least turn off the water in his bathroom sink, or put on a proper shirt, or adjust before she went off babbling faster thn a race horse could run.
Yup, Despite the physical similarities, Jenette was right when saying she and Carmen were nothing alike.
"Oh come on man, don't go around like you don't pretend to notice. Don't you ever think about the way she looks at you? Or how you look at her? She's to die for, ain't that so Drakie boy?" Carmen said, with a wink.
Drake felt like his cheeks were on fire when they flushed at the mention of that.
"You two are inseparable, even she admits it. You guys work like the perfect team, ya might as well hop off to Vegas and get married already!" she continues, waving her hands in the air with glee.
Good god, this experience was worse than with Anthony, Mark'a own brother. When he had told him about Jenette, Anthony pondered for five seconds tops before remarking "She's the one you got pregnant, eh?"
"Carmen, look. We're just friends. I bet you five bucks that Vasuqez's already told you that a million times already. Now piss off." he says, turning away with intentions to just turn off his bathroom sink and not look back. Perhaps that way, Carmen would shut up and go before things could get even more awkward.
It seemed to work. For once Mark was finally able to accomplish his simple task, there was nothing but the sound of silence and water dripping from the nozzle of his sink. He almost felt guilt for the last part of the sentence he had said to her, and just as he had turned around she had started up.
"Alright, but just think about a few things; how much you two care about each other, how you would feel if she fell in love with some guy, and if something happened to her." Carmen says, resisting the urge to smile. This is always the part where you get to the person. Always.
Drake furrowed his brows, confused by that last part of what she had said. "Something like what?" he asked, a little wary.
"What if she died." Carmen answered mindlessly with a casual shrug, heading off on her way without another word.
The words tumbled out of her own mouth as if it didn't matter, but Mark's mind caught on to them carefully and held them close as they echoed. Of course that'd never happen! How stupid of a thing for Carmen to say! This was Vasquez of all people...but it wasn't like she was immortal.
His mind wandered into dangerous territories, like if those words came true. He gulped, with a rush of unexplained feelings striking him down.
Like he would be devastated if he had to live on without her.
And suddenly all that nonsense blabbing of Carmen felt like the wisest words from a monk ever said. Either that, he himself didn't realize he was overreacting and acting stupid.
Whatever the case was, he found himself thinking over what Carmen had mentioned.
XxX
Now it wasn't as though Carmen was role playing as Cupid. That was never her intentions in the first place.
And she braced herself for when Mark would eventually probably blurt to her sister that she had been over at his place telling him all those things she said. She wouldn't be surprised if Jenette threatened to kill her, while her face was the brightest red.
Didn't matter. Carmen knew damn well one day her sister would come to her senses and thank her.
She just done the biggest favor for the both of them.
XxX
I figured I do a little humorous one. Now Carmen only appears in the comics, which I don't have, so I can only assume Carmen grew up to act just like her older sister like the wikia state (apparently Vasquez told Carmen when they were kids she needed to act like her, 'Be ready to kick ass whenever'). But I figured for the fun of it, why not make her different? More younger, naive, and quite the ball of fun to write. :3
